The mission of the Human Services Program is to provide diverse members of the community with a university education that focuses on the knowledge and skills to help those in need. The Bachelor's degree in Human Services prepares students for occupations in human service settings and in social work, or for graduate training.

Program Description

The Human Services major at CSU Dominguez Hills is a single subject major (no minor required) that prepares students who earn the B.A. degree for employment in a variety of professional service careers. This major is interdisciplinary and combines courses from Human Services, Child Development, Health Sciences, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology and other areas. It is similar to a degree in social work, and it is a great major for people who want meaningful jobs helping others and serving their communities.

Features

A unique aspect of the Human Services major is the student's involvement in actual work in the field of human services through the practicums. The practicum courses provide for on-the-job training in a variety of community settings. Fieldwork settings are provided through a wide range of government and private agencies and organizations such as mental health, family service centers, geriatric care, educational settings, the correctional system, recreation departments, alcohol and drug agencies, children services, hospitals, community group settings and many others. There are many instances when practicum experience leads to employment.

Academic Advisement

New students are required to make an appointment with an Academic Advisor for a mandatory new student workshop prior to enrolling in classes. The advisors are located in the Student Service Center (SCC), WH C-300. The SCC advisors may be reached at (310) 243-2120 / (800) 344-5484 or visit http://www4.csudh.edu/chhsn/ssc/index.

Preparation

Community college transfer students are encouraged to complete general education courses and to take human biology/anatomy and statistics prior to transferring to CSUDH.

Career Possibilities

The Human Services Program prepares students to work in mental health agencies, family service centers, facilities for the developmentally disabled, drug and alcohol services, geriatric care, personnel services, educational settings and other service areas. Human services workers assume many roles such as: case managers, advocates, teaching, group facilitators, outreach, mobilizers, consultants, planners, administrators, and evaluators. Students have ample opportunities to learn about community agencies and available occupations prior to graduation.

Graduation with Honors

An undergraduate student may graduate with Honors in Human Services provided that the following criteria are met:

A minimum grade point average of at least 3.5 in all courses used to satisfy the upper division requirements in Human Services;

Recommendation by the faculty of the Human Services program.

Student Organizations

Students in the Human Services major are eligible to join the Human Services Students Association.